BILL NUMBER: SCR 29	CHAPTERED  05/27/99

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER   43
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE   MAY 27, 1999
	ADOPTED IN SENATE   MAY 24, 1999
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY   MAY 13, 1999
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY   MAY 3, 1999
	AMENDED IN SENATE   APRIL 12, 1999

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Alpert

                        MARCH 24, 1999

   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 29--Relative to education master
plan.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 29, Alpert.  Education master plan.
   This measure would resolve that a joint legislative committee be
established to develop a "Master Plan for Education-Kindergarten
through University" to provide a blueprint for education in
California in the 21st century, to support lifelong learning for all
Californians, and to serve as an example to other states by raising
the standard for educational excellence.




   WHEREAS, Education is the most important function of the State of
California and is essential to the cultural, political, and economic
health of the state and the nation; and
   WHEREAS, California's population is rich in ethnic and cultural
diversity, which is a resource that should continually be developed
to ensure the ongoing success of the state and its residents; and
   WHEREAS, Over the past 25 years, California has developed an
extraordinary educational system, from preschool to the postgraduate
level, with an unprecedented investment of public and private moneys
and the energy and commitment of countless individuals; and
   WHEREAS, In 1960, California established a master plan for the
development, expansion, and integration of the facilities,
curriculum, and standards of higher education in junior colleges, the
California State University system, the University of California
system, and other institutions of higher education in the state to
meet the needs of the state during the 10 years following the master
plan's establishment; and
   WHEREAS, Since the adoption of the Master Plan for Higher
Education in California, the master plan has been reviewed
periodically by the Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for
Higher Education, the Coordinating Council for Higher Education, the
Joint Committee for Review of the Master Plan in Higher Education,
and the California Postsecondary Education Commission; and
   WHEREAS, Many members of the education community believe a master
plan for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, is necessary due
to the major policy initiatives enacted in recent years, and that
coordination, guidance, and policy direction toward a framework for
understanding the roles of the state and school districts in
governing and financing the education system is critical; now,
therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That a joint committee composed of nine Members
of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Rules Committee, and
nine Members of the Assembly, to be appointed by the Speaker of the
Assembly, be established; and be it further
   Resolved, That the joint committee develop a "Master Plan for
Education-Kindergarten through University" to provide a blueprint for
education in California in the 21st century, to support lifelong
learning for all Californians, and to serve as an example to other
states by raising the standard for educational excellence; and be it
further
   Resolved, That the joint committee and its members shall have and
exercise all of the rights, duties, and powers conferred upon
investigating committees and their members by the Joint Rules of the
Senate and the Assembly as they are adopted and amended from time to
time, which provisions are incorporated herein and made applicable to
this committee and its members; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Senate Committee on Rules may make money
available from the Senate Operating Fund, as it deems necessary, for
the expenses of the joint committee and its members.  Any expenditure
of money shall be made in compliance with policies set forth by the
Senate Committee on Rules and shall be subject to the approval of the
Senate Committee on Rules; and be it further
   Resolved, That the joint committee shall, within 15 days of
authorization and consistent with the normal annual appropriation
process for funding legislative committees, present its initial
budget to the Senate Committee on Rules for its review, comment, and
approval; and be it further
   Resolved, That the joint committee is authorized to act until
November 30, 2000, at which time the committee's existence shall
terminate; and be it further
   Resolved, That the joint committee shall submit a report at the
end of the legislative session to the Legislature on its activities.
